JP7211157B2 - Information processing device, association method and association program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an association method, and an association program.

In business, electronic files or paper forms are used in various scenes. Here, a form is a document or system screen created in electronic files or on paper. It means that the nature is expressed by arrangement on a two-dimensional plane.

Such forms often have slightly different formats depending on the organization that defines the format of the forms, even if most of the descriptions are the same. In addition, changes are often made in the process of business operation. For example, as a conventional technology, even if the layout is different due to differences in the organization that defined the format of the form, revisions during operation, etc., the position of the item value written on the form that you want to automatically process can be specified correctly. However, in order to be able to extract data, information for determining the type of column (whether the description in the column is the item name or the item value) is given in advance, so that the column is the item name. Then, by recognizing the correspondence between the item name column and the item value column, the item value column corresponding to the item name of the specified automatic processing item is selected from the form columns. There are ways to make it identifiable.

JP 2018-10489 A

However, in the conventional method, there was a problem that the result of association may not correspond to the change in arrangement of columns. For example, in the conventional technology, when item names are arranged both vertically and horizontally, the vertical and horizontal directions are reversed, and the order of parent-child relationships between multiple item names associated with the same item value is changed. In this case, there was a problem that the item value column could not be specified.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an information processing apparatus of the present invention registers a set of item names associated with item name columns associated with desired item value columns in a predetermined form. and a solution obtaining unit that associates the item name field and the item value field included in the form to be processed based on the set of item names registered by the registration part, and specifies the desired item value field. It is characterized by

According to the present invention, even if there is a change in the arrangement of the fields in the form, it is possible to associate the item name field and the item value field included in the form and specify the desired item value field. play.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the logical configuration of the form processing tool in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining relative arrangement patterns. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of description content/position data. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of column type data. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the process of dividing votes. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of relative arrangement pattern data. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of permissible/unacceptable relative arrangement patterns. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of association permission information. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for comprehensively determining both the relative placement determination result based on the item value column and the relative placement determination result based on the item name column. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for comprehensively determining both the relative placement determination result based on the item value column and the relative placement determination result based on the item name column. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for generating relative arrangement patterns. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for generating relative arrangement patterns. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining symbols used when expressing constraints and evaluation functions in formulas. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of constraints at the time of form registration. FIG. 16 is a diagram explaining an example of an evaluation function at the time of form registration. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining constraints when using a registered form. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an evaluation function when using a registered form. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of solution finding by the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing related information between the item name column and the item value column. FIG. 21A is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing flow in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; 21B is a flowchart illustrating an example of the overall processing flow in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing in the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing in the description content/position acquisition unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing in the description content/position acquisition unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing in the description content/position acquisition unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a computer executing a specific program.

Embodiments of an information processing apparatus, an association method, and an association program according to the present application will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing apparatus, the association method, and the association program according to the present application are not limited by this embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
In the following embodiments, the configuration of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, the logical configuration of the form processing tool 16, and the processing flow of the information processing apparatus 10 will be described in order. Explain the effect.

[Configuration of information processing device]
First, with reference to FIG. 1, a configuration example of a system including an information processing apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the specific configuration is not particularly limited.

The information processing device 10 is a device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a smart phone, and mechanically processes, for example, the contents of a form. Here, forms include, for example, electronic data created by applications, PDF files, structure data of system screens, image data (for example, electronic files and system screens converted into image data, scanned paper and converted) are targeted.

In addition, prior to mechanically processing the description content of the form, the information processing apparatus 10 sets the allowable relative arrangement pattern and the unacceptable relative arrangement pattern (hereinafter referred to as "allowed/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern"). ) is registered. When registering the form of the form and when using the registered form information, the information processing apparatus 10 uses the registered permitted/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern to set the item name column and the item value column included in the form. determine the possibility of association with It should be noted that the columns of the form need not be rectangular, and may be simple polygonal. Also, the columns of the form may or may not be surrounded by ruled lines. Therefore, when not surrounded by ruled lines, a rectangle acquired by object acquisition or the like may be treated as a column.

Here, relative arrangement patterns will be described with reference to FIG. For example, the relative arrangement pattern of column i with respect to column j in a form is, as shown in FIG. , lower right, when divided into 9 regions of the same order (hereinafter, these regions are referred to as “region group centered on column j”), which region overlaps with column i. is. The area over which column i extends may be single or plural. However, since the column is a simple polygon, when the column i extends into a plurality of regions, those regions share at least one or more of the borders of the regions.

Regarding permissible/impossible relative placement patterns, for example, in a form used in Japan, if item name column i is the item name column of item value column j, item name column i is the same as item value column j. In the group of regions centered on , overlap with at least either the region on the left or the top (regardless of whether or not it overlaps with regions other than the left and the top), or overlap only with the region at the same position can be assumed to have In other words, the item name column i, which overlaps only with the following areas (1) to (3), does not become the item name column of the item value column j.
(1) Upper left area of item value column j (2) Upper right, right, lower right, lower, lower left area of item value column j, or some or all of these combined areas (3) An area obtained by combining the above (1) and (2) areas and the equivalent area of the item value column j

Regarding permissible/unacceptable relative arrangement patterns, for example, in a form used in Japan, if the item value column j is the item value column of the item name column i, the item value column j becomes the item name column i Of the regions centered on , overlap at least either the right or bottom region (whether or not it overlaps with regions other than the right and bottom regions), or overlap only with the region at the same position can be assumed to have In other words, the item value column j that overlaps only with the following areas (1) to (3) does not become the item value column of the item name column i.
(1) Lower right area of item name column i (2) Lower left, left, upper left, upper, upper right area of item name column i, or an area combining these (3) Above (1), ( The area obtained by combining the area of 2) and the equivalent area of the item value column i

Here, allowable relative arrangement patterns and unacceptable arrangement patterns are specified by specifically listing them. For example, it is allowed.”, or a logical expression representing an unacceptable condition.

The above is a "general model" for arbitrary item name columns and item value columns. Regarding the item name column and item value column with a specific item name in a specific format, if a different assumption is required, as an "item name individual rule" Regarding the arrangement pattern, it is also possible to determine what is permissible and what is not permissible.

The information processing apparatus 10 has an operation input section 11 a , a form input section 11 b , a display section 12 , an OS (Operating System) 13 , a storage section 14 , an editor 15 and a form processing tool 16 . Note that these components are not limited to being on the same device, and may be distributed and arranged in a plurality of devices.

The operation input unit 11a is for inputting operations to tools such as registration of form of forms, execution commands for mechanical processing, and modification and editing of related information in item name columns and item value columns. It is configured with a touch panel and the like. The form input unit 11b is for inputting form data and the like, and includes a camera, a scanner, and the like. The display unit 12 displays various processing results, and includes a display, a touch panel, a speaker, and the like.

In addition, the main body of the information processing apparatus 10 executes the OS 13, and along with the processing of the OS 13, the editor 15 for editing various parameters and the like and the form processing tool 16 for processing forms are activated.

The storage unit 14 is, for example, a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or an optical disc. The storage unit 14 may be a rewritable semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, or an NVSRAM (Non Volatile Static Random Access Memory). The storage unit 14 stores, for example, discrimination information for types of columns described later.

Next, the logical configuration of the form processing tool 16 will be described using the example of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the logical configuration of the form processing tool in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the form processing tool 16 includes a description content/position acquisition unit 161, a column type determination unit 162, a form division unit 163, an association permission determination unit 164, an evaluation function generation unit 165, and a constraint condition provision unit. 166, a solution obtaining unit 167, a registration unit 168a, a correction unit 168b, and an allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169.

The description content/position acquisition unit 161 receives the data of the form and acquires the constituent regions of the columns in the form and the character strings included in the columns. Then, the described content/position acquisition unit 161 stores, in the work data storage unit 170, the description content/position data 170a indicating the character string of each column in each form and the configuration area of each column. Here, description content/position data 170a will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the description content/position data 170a includes a "column ID" that identifies a column, a "character string" that is included in the column, a "character type" that constitutes the character string, and a "column 's configuration area' is associated with. The configuration area of a column may be, for example, information related to the outline of the column and the set of vertices of the column as in vector data, or the entire form arranged in a grid of rows and columns as in raster data. It may be divided into cells and may be information about which cell the column contains.

The column type determination unit 162 determines the type of each column of the form, and stores the determination result in the work data storage unit 170 as column type data 170b. Any method may be used to determine the type of each column of the form. For a known form, the column type determination unit 162 may determine the type of each column of the form by referring to preset information for determining the type of the column. Further, for example, the column type determination unit 162 acquires a plurality of forms having the same layout, compares the description contents of each column at the same position in each form, and determines whether the description contents of the column at the same position in each form are the same. , the type of the column may be determined as the item name, and if there is a different column, the type of the column may be determined as the item value.

Here, the column type data 170b will be explained using FIG. As exemplified in FIG. 5, the column type data 170b is associated with "ID" that identifies the column and "type" that indicates the type of the column. In the example of FIG. 5, if the type is "TRUE", it means that the field is "item name", and if the type is "FALSE", it means that the field is "item value". means

The form dividing unit 163 divides the form in order to efficiently associate the item name column and the item value column. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the vote dividing unit 163 divides the area into areas enclosed by ruled lines and areas not enclosed by ruled lines, and treats the votes in each area as one vote. Then, the form dividing unit 163 divides the data of the description content/position data 170a for each form and stores them in the work data accumulation unit 170 as description content/position data 170c for each form. Note that the processing by the form dividing unit 163 may be omitted, and when the form is not divided, the entire form is treated as one form and the subsequent processing is performed. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, each form obtained by division will be simply referred to as a "form" if not divided, and the entire form will not be distinguished.

The association admissibility determination unit 164 obtains a relative arrangement pattern, which is a distribution pattern of the existence areas of other columns, based on each column in the form to be processed, and determines the relative arrangement pattern and the preset "permissible "relative arrangement pattern that is/is not provided", and determines whether or not there is a possibility of association between the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed. That is, the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines whether or not there is a possibility that each item value column and item name column are associated based on the "allowed/not allowed relative arrangement pattern".

Specifically, first, the association admissibility determination unit 164 obtains a relative arrangement pattern, which is the distribution pattern of the existence areas of other columns, based on each column in the form to be processed, and obtains the relative arrangement pattern as a "relative arrangement pattern" 170d. Stored in the work data storage unit 170 . Here, an example of relative arrangement pattern data will be described using the example of FIG. As exemplified in FIG. 7, the relative arrangement pattern is based on the "item name column ID" that identifies the item name, the "item value column ID" that identifies the item value, and any of the item name and the item value. A "reference" indicating whether or not is associated with a "relative arrangement pattern ID" for identifying the relative arrangement pattern.

Then, the association admissibility determination unit 164 refers to the permitted/unacceptable relative arrangement patterns 171a stored in the relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171, and determines whether the relative arrangement pattern of each column is associated with each item value column and the item name column. Determine if it is possible. Specifically, for each combination of the item name field and the item value field, whether or not the relative arrangement pattern of the item value field with the item name field as the reference is allowed, and whether the item name field with the item value field as the reference Whether or not the relative arrangement pattern is allowed is determined by referring to the allowed/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern 171a, and if both are allowed based on the reference, it is determined that there is a possibility of association. If not, it is determined that there is no possibility of association. Here, data examples of allowable/unacceptable relative arrangement patterns will be described using the example of FIG. The allowed/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern 171a includes "ID" indicating the relative arrangement pattern ID, "reference" indicating whether the item name or the item value is used as the reference, and "upper left", "upper right", "left", and "coordinate". , right, lower left, lower, lower right (1/0) expressed in binary numbers in the above order, and "allowability" indicating whether or not it is allowed. are associated with.

7 and 8, for example, the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines the item name column ID "1" and the item value column in the first row of the relative arrangement pattern illustrated in FIG. Regarding the ID "3" and the reference "item name", the relative arrangement pattern ID is "8". In the example of FIG. 8, since the permissibility corresponding to ID "8" is "O", the association permissibility determining unit 164 determines that it is permissible. In addition, the association permission determination unit 164 determines that the item name column ID “1”, the item value column ID “3”, and the reference “item value” have relative layout pattern ID “548”, so that the relative layout pattern ID is “548”. Refer to the admissibility corresponding to the ID "548" of the layout pattern 171a. Here, since the permissibility corresponding to the ID “548” is also “O”, the association permissibility determination unit 164 determines the item name column of the item name column ID “1” and the item value column of the item value column ID “3”. and stores the determination result in the work data accumulation unit 170 as the association permission information 170e. Further, if the allowability corresponding to the ID “548” is “x”, the association allowability determination unit 164 determines the item name column of the item name column ID “1” and the item value of the item value column ID “3”. It is determined that there is no possibility of association with the column, and the determination result is stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 as association permission information 170e.

Here, a data example of the association permission information will be described using the example of FIG. 9 . As illustrated in FIG. 9, the association permission information 170e associates a combination of "item name column ID" and "item value column ID" with "permissible" indicating whether or not the combination is permissible. If the allowable in the association allowable information 170e is "1", it means that the corresponding combination of "item name column ID" and "item value column ID" may be associated. As in the above example, when the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines that there is a possibility of associating the item name column with the item name column ID "1" and the item value column with the item value column ID "3", associates the item name column ID "1", the item value column ID "3", and the allowable column "1" and stores them in the work data accumulation unit 170 as association permission information.

In this way, even if the shape of the field is not rectangular, the association permission determination unit 164 can compare the relative placement determination result based on the item value field and the relative placement determination result based on the item value name field. By comprehensively judging both, it is possible to complement each other, deny the possibility of unnecessary correspondence, and reduce the possibility of erroneous correspondence.

Here, a process for comprehensively determining both the determination result of the relative placement based on the item value column and the determination result of the relative placement based on the item name column will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining an example of processing for comprehensively determining both the relative placement determination result based on the item value column and the relative placement determination result based on the item name column.

For example, as exemplified in FIG. 10 , when the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines the relative arrangement based on the item value column j, the item name column i exists only in the “same rank” area, and the “left” Although it does not extend to the "upper" area, it is not clearly understood as "coordinated", so it is determined that the correspondence cannot be denied. On the other hand, when the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines the relative arrangement based on the item name column i, the item value column j exists only in the areas of "left", "upper left", and "upper", and there is no corresponding relationship. judge. For this reason, the association permission determination unit 164 determines that the item name column i cannot be the item name column of the item value column j, when the determination results are combined.

Further, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, when the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines the relative arrangement based on the item value column j, the item name column i is located within the regions "right", "lower right", and "bottom". It is determined that there is only one and that there is no corresponding relationship. On the other hand, when the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines the relative arrangement based on the item name column i, the item value column j exists only within the "same level" area and does not extend to the "right" and "bottom" areas. However, it is determined that the correspondence relationship cannot be denied because it is not clearly understood by "same rank". For this reason, the association permission determination unit 164 determines that the item name column i cannot be the item name column of the item value column j, when the determination results are combined.

Here, as an alternative to the method of specifically enumerating the above-mentioned allowable/not allowable relative placement patterns and specifying allowable/not allowable for each of them, item names of various formats It is also possible to obtain a relative arrangement pattern from an example of association between a field and an item value field, and generate an allowable arrangement pattern based on it. For example, when it is known that an arbitrary item name column and an item value column are associated (or not associated), the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 determines that the relative arrangement pattern of the item name column and the item value column is Either produces an acceptable (or unacceptable) relative placement pattern.

The allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 acquires the relative arrangement pattern from the association between the item name column and the item value column in the form of the predetermined format, and generates allowable relative arrangement pattern data based on the acquired relative arrangement pattern. to create In other words, the permissible relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 generates permissible (or not permissible) relative arrangement patterns using information relating to the association between the item name column and the item value column. It should be noted that the association information between the item name column and the item value column is given as an input to the permissible relative arrangement pattern generation unit as a result of manual association or the like.

Here, the processing for generating the relative arrangement pattern will be described using the examples of FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 12 and 13 are diagrams illustrating an example of processing for generating relative arrangement patterns. For example, as exemplified in FIG. 12, the permissible relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 generates a relative arrangement based on the item name column i when it is known that the item name column i and the item value column j are related. A pattern “000001000” is generated as an allowable relative arrangement pattern and stored in the relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171 . The permissible relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 also generates the relative arrangement pattern “100100100” based on the item value column j as the permissible relative arrangement pattern, and stores it in the relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171 .

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 generates a relative arrangement based on the item name column i when it is known that the item name column i and the item value column j are associated. A pattern “000010000” is generated as an allowable relative arrangement pattern and stored in the relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171 . The permissible relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 also generates the relative arrangement pattern “110100100” based on the item value column j as the permissible relative arrangement pattern, and stores it in the relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171 .

Also, when using the registered form information, that is, when using the form information held in the form holding part 172 to determine the association between the item value column and the item name column in the form to be processed, the association permission determination unit 164 , and if an item name individual rule that defines one or both of a preset allowable distribution pattern and an unacceptable distribution pattern for each item name is set as format information, the item name individual Whether or not there is a possibility of association between the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed may be determined according to a rule. As an item name individual rule, for example, the column with the item name character string "contract ID" should be associated with the item value column on the right side, or the column with the item name character string "customer type" should be associated with the column below It is assumed that it is set such that it is not associated with a certain item value.

The evaluation function generation unit 165 obtains coefficients required for the evaluation function and determined according to the form, generates the evaluation function, and stores it in the work data accumulation unit 170 as the evaluation function 170f to be applied. The evaluation function is composed of evaluation items that reflect the viewpoint of evaluating the degree of association between the item name column and the item value column for each item value column. In the evaluation function, the closeness in arrangement of the item value column and the item name column, the difference in the width/height of the column, or the smallness of their ratio are used as the evaluation items when determining the association between the item value column and the item name column. , the lack of association between the item value column and the item name column, or any or all of the evaluation items. When using the registered form information, in addition to these evaluation items, an evaluation item such as the number of items existing in the form at the time of form registration that also exist in the form to be processed is used.

For example, assuming that a form is a medium in which the contents of item values can be understood from the item name information, the item name column and the item value column are placed as close as possible from the viewpoint of readability. Probability is high. Therefore, it is possible to assume a general-purpose evaluation item such that "the closer the distance between the item name column and the item value column, the higher the evaluation". In addition, the relationship between the item name column and the item value column is also expressed by the size of the column. Since there is a tendency that the larger the overlapping range, the higher the relevance, it can be assumed that "the smaller the difference between the width of the item name column and the width of the item value column, the higher the evaluation value" as a general evaluation item. .

In addition, for general-purpose or permissible relative placement patterns for item name individual rules, prepare evaluation item values for each relative placement pattern in advance, The evaluation item value may be applied to the combination of the first name column and the item value column according to their relative arrangement pattern and included in the evaluation function. As the evaluation item values prepared in advance for each relative arrangement pattern, for example, in a form in which the association between the item name column and the item value column is known, it is conceivable to set the evaluation item value higher for the relative arrangement pattern with more associated cases. .

Also, when using registered form information, evaluation items related to the relative arrangement pattern of the item value column associated with the item name column, the type of characters written in the column, and the degree of matching with the form at the time of form registration may be included in the evaluation function.

Alternatively, an evaluation item that becomes a penalty when the below-described constraint conditions are not satisfied may be included. For example, while allowing the case where the item value field is not associated with the item name field, it is possible to prevent such an item value field from remaining as much as possible. may be included in the evaluation function.

Alternatively, when using the registered form information, the evaluation function generation unit 165 may generate an item that may have been added. In some cases, the evaluation function may include an evaluation item regarding the number of item value columns associated with each item name column and the degree of matching with that in the form at the time of format registration. In this case, the evaluation function generation unit 165 calculates the number of item value columns associated with each item name column in the form at the time of format registration from the format information held in the format holding unit 172 .

The evaluation function generation unit 165 selects one or more of the above-described evaluation item candidates as an evaluation function when determining the association between the item value column and the item name column, with weights specified in advance. Weighted and generated as a function.

Here, the symbols used when expressing the evaluation function and the constraint conditions as mathematical expressions will be described using the example of FIG. 14 . FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining symbols used when expressing evaluation functions and constraints as mathematical expressions. In FIG. 14, definitions of symbols are described for "sets and elements", "constants", "variables" and "evaluation functions".

Here, an example of the evaluation function will be described using the examples of FIGS. 16 and 18. FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram explaining an example of an evaluation function at the time of form registration. In equation (1) of FIG. 16, a solution is obtained so that the total sum of evaluation values is minimized using x _ij as a variable. Also, c _ij is obtained by the equation (2) in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation function when using registered form information. Equation (1) in FIG. 18 and c _ij therein are the same as in FIG. Expression (2) in FIG. 18 indicates how few item name sets are not associated with any item value column in the form to be processed, among the item name sets included in the form at the time of form registration obtained from the form information. , are weighted evaluation items regarding the number of items that exist in the form to be processed among the items that exist in the form at the time of format registration.

The constraint condition applying unit 166 gives a predetermined constraint condition and stores it in the work data storage unit as a constraint condition to be applied 170g. As the constraint condition, define at least a condition that must be satisfied when assuming a combination of item name columns associated with each item value column. It should be noted that the constraint conditions differ between when the form is registered and when the registered form information is used. In addition, the constraint conditions illustrated below are examples, and other constraint conditions may be added. For example, if it is given that the item name column and the item value column are associated or not associated with some items, it may be added to the constraint condition.

For example, the constraint condition provision unit 166 can distinguish between the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed. Only if it is a relative arrangement pattern that allows association", the constraint condition "each item value field is associated with at least one or more item name fields", and the constraint condition "item name fields with the same character string is associated with the same item value column,” and the constraint condition “Item value columns have different sets of item names described in their associated item name columns. ” is given.

Also, for example, the constraint condition assigning unit 166 may include a column for which the column type cannot be determined among the item value columns in the form to be processed. If there is, prior to assigning the constraint, first, from the form information held in the form holding unit 172, an item name set is obtained for each item value column of the form at the time of form registration. Here, the item name set refers to a set of character strings in the item name column associated with each item value column. Next, for each item name set, an item name column set is created by selecting and assigning an item name column having a character string included in the item name set from among the item name columns in the form to be processed. Here, the item name column set refers to a set of item name columns. At that time, if there are multiple item name fields with the same character string, that is, the item name in the form to be processed, and multiple allocation methods are possible, enumerate the item name field sets as many as the number of allocation methods. do. On top of that, the constraint condition ``The item name column and the item value column are associated only when the relative placement pattern allows association'', and the constraint condition ``Each item name column set can have at most one associated with the item value field" and the constraint condition "Each item value field is associated with at most one item name field set" and the constraint condition "the number of item name field sets generated for the same item name set Among them, at most one is associated with the item value column." In addition, among the items included in the registered form information, if items that are essential for processing are specified, for each item name set of those items, the constraint condition "Items generated from the same item name set Among the first name column set, exactly one is associated with the item value column” is further added.

Constraint conditions are illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 17. FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of constraints at the time of form registration. As exemplified in FIG. 15, "each item value column is associated with at least one or more item name columns" (see formula (1) in FIG. 15), and "the item name column and the item value column are associated is limited to relative placement patterns that allow association” (see formula (2) in FIG. 15), and “if there are multiple item name fields with the same character string, the same item A maximum of one item can be associated with a value column” (see formula (3) in FIG. 15), and “a set of item names described in associated item name columns must be mutually associated between item value columns. "different" (see formula (4) in FIG. 15) is given as a constraint at the time of form registration.

In addition, in this embodiment, when using the registered form information, whether or not there is a relationship between the item value column and the item name column set is set as an additional variable, and as illustrated in FIG. associated with item name column sets” (see formula (1) in FIG. 17), “each item name column set is associated with at most one item value column”, and “each item name set is associated with Among the item name column sets generated from the same item name set, the maximum number of items associated with the item value column is 1” (see formula (2) in FIG. 17), and “the item name column and the item value column is associated only when it is a relative arrangement pattern that allows association” (see formula (4) in FIG. 17), and furthermore, a variable that indicates whether or not the item value column and the item name column are related , and the relation established between the variables representing the presence or absence of association between the item value column and the item name column set (see formula (5) in FIG. 17) is given as a constraint condition. In addition, among the items of the form at the time of form registration, if there is an item that is essential when using the registered form information, "For each item name set, out of the item name column sets generated from the same item name set, As an additional constraint condition, "the number of items associated with the item value column is exactly one" (see formula (3) in FIG. 17) is added.

The solution-seeking unit 167 satisfies the constraint conditions imparted by the constraint condition imparting unit and optimizes the evaluation function generated by the evaluation function generation unit. identify associations with

For example, in the solution finding unit 167, the existence or non-existence of the relationship between the item value column and the item name column is set as a variable, and a combination of solutions that satisfy the constraint conditions and minimize the evaluation function is strictly or approximated. is expressed by an approximating formula and solved to obtain the association between the item name column and the item value column. The expression method of the mathematical formula may be changed to a more approximate mathematical expression according to whether or not a solver is used and the solver to be used, as long as the assumed constraint conditions and the meaning of the evaluation function do not change.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the solution seeking unit 167 identifies the association between the item name column and the item value column. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of solution finding by the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Specifically, using the example of FIG. 19, for example, the solution seeking unit 167 specifies that the item name field containing the character string "contract ID" and the item value field containing the character string "12345678" are associated. . Then, the solution seeking unit 167 stores the related information 170h of the item name column and the item value column in the work data accumulation unit 170. FIG.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 19, for example, the solution seeking unit 167 includes an item name column including the character string "contractor's name", an item name column including the character string "furigana", and a character string "dendentaro". It is specified as being associated with the item value column. Then, the solution seeking unit 167 stores the related information 170h of the item name column and the item value column in the work data accumulation unit 170. FIG.

As exemplified in FIG. 20, the related information 170h between the item name column and the item value column corresponds to an "item value column ID" that identifies the item value column and an "item name column ID" that identifies the item name column. attached. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing related information between the item name column and the item value column.

The correction unit 168b corrects the related information 170h of the item name column and the item value column registered by the solution obtaining unit 167. FIG. For example, the correction unit 168b corrects the related information 170h of the item name column and the item value column stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 according to the user's instruction. Alternatively, the modification unit 168b adds, modifies, or deletes the item name individual rule according to the user's instruction.

The registration unit 168a obtains the result of obtaining the association between the item name column and the item value column of the form to be processed at the time of form registration, held in the work data accumulation unit 170, and part of the data created in the process, It is registered as form information in association with an identifier that identifies the form form. Specifically, the registration unit 168a stores column type data 170b, entry content/entry position data 170c for each form, relative arrangement pattern 170d, item name column and item value column stored in the work data accumulation unit 170. related information 170h is registered in the format holding unit 172 as column type data 172b, entry content/entry position data 172d for each form, relative arrangement pattern 172e, and item name column and item value column related information 172a. Also, the set item name individual rule 172 c is registered in the form holding unit 172 .

In the above description, the registration unit uses column type data 170b, entry content/entry position data 170c, relative arrangement pattern 170d, and item names stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 as form information. The related information 170h of the column and the item value column is registered in the form holding unit 172, and when the registered form information is used, each item value column of the form at the time of form registration is obtained from the data registered in the form holding unit 172. However, the item name set is obtained by the registration unit at the time of form registration, registered in the form holding unit 172 as part of the form information, and registered form information At the time of use, the item name set may be used.

In the above explanation, the data obtained by the processing in the described content/position acquisition unit, the column type determination unit, the form division unit, the association permission determination unit, the data stored in the relative arrangement pattern storage unit, and the format storage unit By processing the data held in the function part consisting of the evaluation function generation part, the constraint condition provision part, and the solution calculation part, based on the set of item names registered by the registration part, it is included in the form to be processed The association between the item name column and the item value column is specified. In the "solution-seeking section", while the same input data is used, processing is performed based on the set of item names registered by the registration section by a method that does not explicitly use constraints and evaluation functions internally. The association between the item name column and the item value column included in the target form may be identified.

[Processing procedure of information processing device]
Next, an example of the processing procedure of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 21A and 21B. 21A and 21B are flowcharts showing an example of the overall processing flow in the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B, the description content/position acquisition unit 161 receives the data of the form, acquires the constituent regions of the columns of the form and the character strings included in the columns, and stores the description in the work data accumulation unit 170. As shown in FIGS. The content/position data 170a is stored (step S101).

Then, the column type discriminating unit 162 receives the data of the form or refers to the description content/position data 170a held in the work data accumulation unit 170, discriminates the type of each column of the form, and accumulates the work data. The column type data 170b is stored in the section 170 (step S102).

Subsequently, the form dividing unit 163 receives the data of the form, refers to the description content/position data 170a held in the work data accumulation unit 170, divides the form into forms, and stores the data in the work data accumulation unit 170. The entry content/position data 170c for each form is stored (step S103).

Then, the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines whether or not all of the divided votes have been processed (step S104). finish. If all of the divided slips have not been processed (No at step S104), the association admissibility determination unit 164 selects the unprocessed One form (hereinafter simply referred to as "form") is selected (step S105).

Subsequently, the association permission determination unit 164 refers to the selected entry content/position data 170c for each form and the column type data 170b, and examines the relative arrangement pattern for each combination of the item name column and the item value column. , the relative arrangement pattern 170d is stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 (step S106).

Then, if the process is for style registration (Yes at step S107), the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines whether the relative arrangement pattern 170d held in the work data accumulation unit 170 and the relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171 By referring to the allowed/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern 171a, the item name individual rule is received from the correction unit 168b, and whether or not there is a possibility of association for each combination of the item name column and the item value column in the form. is determined, and the association permission information 170e is stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 (step S108).

Then, the evaluation function generation unit 165 refers to the form-specific entry content/position data 170c, the column type data 170b, and the relative arrangement pattern 170d held in the work data storage unit 170, generates an evaluation function, and stores the work data. The evaluation function 170f to be applied is stored in the unit 170 (step S109).

Subsequently, the constraint condition imparting unit 166 refers to the form-specific entry content/position data 170c, the column type data 170b, and the association permission information 170e held in the work data storage unit 170, and enumerates the constraint condition to be imparted, The constraint condition 170g to be applied is stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 (step S110).

After that, the solution obtaining unit 167 refers to the applied evaluation function 170f and the applied constraint condition 170g held in the work data accumulation unit 170, obtains a solution that satisfies the constraint condition and optimizes the evaluation function, 170, the related information 170h of the item name column and the item value column is stored (step S111).

Then, the correction unit 168b refers to the description content/position data 170c for each form and the related information 170h of the item name column and the item value column held in the work data storage unit 170, presents them to the person, and corrects the content by the person. is received, and the related information 170h in the item name column and the item value column is updated, or the item name individual rule is added, changed, or deleted (step S112).

If there is an addition/change/deletion of the item name individual rule (Yes at step S113), the process returns to step S108. If there is no addition, change, or deletion of the individual item name rule (No at step S113), the registration unit 168a registers the entry content/position data 170c for each form and the column type data 170c held in the work data accumulation unit 170. 170b, the relative arrangement pattern 170d, the item name column, and the item value column related information 170h, and the item name individual rule is received from the correction unit 168b, these are associated, and the format holding unit 172 stores them as one format information. (step S114).

If it is determined in step S107 that the form is not registered (No in step S107), the association admissibility determination unit 164 determines whether all the form information held in the form holding unit 172 has been applied (step S115). .

As a result, if it is determined that all of the form information held in the form holding section 172 has not been applied (No at step S115), the association permission judgment section 164 determines whether the form held in the form holding section 172 is A piece of unapplied style information is selected from the information (step S116).

Subsequently, the association permission determination unit 164 determines whether the relative arrangement pattern 170d held in the work data accumulation unit 170, the permitted/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern 171a held in the relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171, and the format information. By referring to the rule 172c by item name included in the form, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility of association for each combination of the item name column and the item value column in the form, and the work data storage unit 170 stores the association permission information 170e. Store (step S117).

Subsequently, the evaluation function generation unit 165 generates the form-specific entry content/position data 170c, the column type data 170b, the relative arrangement pattern 170d, and the form-specific entry content/position data 170c held in the work data storage unit 170, and The position data 172d, the column type data 172b, the relative arrangement pattern 172e, and the related information 172a of the item name column and the item value column are referred to, an evaluation function is generated, and the evaluation function 170f to be applied is stored in the work data accumulation unit 170. (Step S118).

Then, the constraint condition applying unit 166 stores the form-specific entry content/position data 170c and the column type data 170b held in the work data accumulation unit 170, the association permission information 170e, and the form-specific entry content/position contained in the form information. By referring to the data 172d, the column type data 172b, and the related information 172a of the item name column and the item value column, the constraint conditions to be applied are listed, and the constraint conditions to be applied are stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 (step S119).

After that, the solution obtaining unit 167 refers to the applied evaluation function 170f and the applied constraint condition 170g held in the work data accumulation unit 170, obtains a solution that satisfies the constraint condition and optimizes the evaluation function, In 170, related information between the item name column and the item value column is stored. Also, among the item name sets obtained from the form information, the number of item name sets associated with the item value column is counted (step S120).

Then, if the number of item name sets associated with the item value column is not greater when the currently selected form information is applied than when the best form information is applied (No at step S121), It returns to the process of step S115. Further, if the number of item name sets associated with the item value column is greater when the currently selected form information is applied than when the best form information is applied (Yes at step S121), the current Holds the selected form information, the related information of the item name field and the item value field, and the number of item name sets associated with the item value field, as the best ever when applying the form information ( Step S122) and returns to the process of step S115.

If it is determined in step S115 that all of the form information held in the form holding unit 172 has been applied (Yes in step S115), the form information is held as the best form information applied so far. The related information of the item name column and the item value column, which is stored, is set as the related information of the item name column and the item value column in the selected form (step S123), and the process returns to step S104.

Next, with reference to FIG. 22, an example of a processing procedure at the time of allowed/unallowed relative arrangement pattern registration of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing in the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 22, the permissible relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 generates input data corresponding to related information for each form description content/position data, column type data, and item name column and item value column from outside the form processing tool. Accept (step S201). Then, the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 determines whether there is a combination of unprocessed associated item name columns and item value columns (step S202), and if it is determined that there is no combination (step S202 negative). , terminate the process.

Further, when the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 determines that there is a combination of unprocessed associated item name fields and item value fields (Yes at step S202), the unprocessed associated item name fields and One combination of item value columns is selected (step S203). Then, the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 refers to the received entry content/position data for each form, and for the selected combination, generates a relative arrangement pattern of the item value column based on the item name column and the item value column. is checked for the relative layout pattern of the item name column (step S204).

Next, the permissible relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 holds relative arrangement patterns for each of the relative arrangement pattern of the item value column with reference to the item name column and the relative arrangement pattern of the item name column with reference to the item value column. One is added to the number of association cases of the permissible/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern 171a held in the unit 171 (step S205).

Then, the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 determines whether or not the number of association cases of relative arrangement patterns exceeds the threshold (step S206). (No at step S206), the process returns to step S202.

Further, when the allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 169 determines that the number of association cases of the relative arrangement pattern exceeds the threshold (Yes at step S206), the allowable relative arrangement pattern holding unit 171 holds In the relative arrangement pattern 171a that is/is not allowed, the permissibility of the relative arrangement pattern is updated to "O" (step S207), and the process returns to step S202.

Next, an example of a processing procedure performed by the description content/position acquisition unit 161 of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 to 25. FIG. 23 to 25 are flowcharts showing an example of the flow of processing in the description content/position acquiring unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

First, with reference to FIG. 23, the processing by the description content/position acquiring unit 161 when the columns of the form are surrounded by ruled lines will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 23, the description content/position acquisition unit 161 sets the total number of objects to n, sets the value of i to "1", and sets the unsearched set to [1...n]. (Step S301). Then, the description content/position acquiring unit 161 determines whether the value of i is greater than the value of n (step S302).

As a result, if the value of i is not greater than the value of n (No at step S302), the description content/position acquisition unit 161 determines whether there are ruled lines on the top and left of the i-th object (step S303). ). As a result, if there are no ruled lines above and to the left of the i-th object (No at step S303), the description content/position acquisition unit 161 proceeds to the process at step S308. If there are ruled lines above and to the left of the i-th object (Yes at step S303), the description content/position acquiring unit 161 rotates the ruled lines clockwise from the i-th object. A set of objects is acquired (step S304).

Then, the description content/position acquisition unit 161 determines whether or not the circulated object has been acquired (step S305). As a result, if the description content/position acquisition unit 161 cannot acquire the object that has circulated (No at step S305), the process proceeds to step S308. In addition, when the description content/position acquisition unit 161 can acquire the circled object (Yes at step S305), the description content/position acquisition unit 161 stores the information of the character string and the area with the circled object set as one column, and the work data storage unit 170 is saved as description content/position data 170a (step S306).

Subsequently, the described content/position acquiring unit 161 deletes the circled object set from the unsearched set (step S307), adds "1" to the value of i (step S308), and returns to the process of step S302.

In step S302, when the value of i is greater than the value of n (Yes in step S302), the description content/position acquiring unit 161 determines whether there is an object in the unsearched set (step S309). If there is an object in (No at step S309), an arbitrary object is selected from the unsearched set (step S310).

Then, the description content/position acquisition unit 161 stores the description content/position data 170a in the work data accumulation unit 170 with the object as one column (step S311), and deletes the index of the selected object from the unsearched set. (step S312), and the process returns to step S309. If there is no object in the unsearched set (Yes at step S309), the description content/position acquisition unit 161 ends the process.

Next, with reference to FIG. 24, processing by the description content/position acquiring unit 161 when the columns of the form are not surrounded by ruled lines will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 24, the description content/position acquisition unit 161 sets the total number of objects to n, sets the value of i to "1", and sets the unsearched set to [1...n]. (Step S401). Then, the description content/position acquisition unit 161 determines whether or not there is an object in the unsearched set (step S402). Select (step S403).

Then, the described content/position acquisition unit 161 stores the described content/position data 170a in the work data accumulation unit 170 with the object as one column (step S404), and deletes the index of the selected object from the unsearched set. (step S405), and the process returns to step S402. If there is no object in the unsearched set (Yes at step S402), the description content/position acquisition unit 161 ends the process.

Next, with reference to FIG. 25, processing by the description content/position acquisition unit 161 when the form is image data will be described. The description content/position acquisition unit 161 extracts ruled lines from the image (step S501), and divides the image from the ruled lines (step S502). Then, the description content/position acquiring unit 161 sets the total number of images to n, and sets the value of i to "1" (step S503).

Then, the description content/position acquiring unit 161 determines whether the value of i is greater than the value of n (step S504). As a result, if the value of i is not greater than the value of n (No at step S504), the description content/position acquisition unit 161 recognizes the characters on the image (step S505), and The information about the area is stored in the work data accumulation unit 170 as the described content/position data 170a (step S506).

Subsequently, the description content/position acquiring unit 161 adds “1” to the value of i (step S507), and returns to the process of step S504. In step S504, when the description content/position acquisition unit 161 determines that the value of i is greater than the value of n (Yes in step S504), the process ends.

[Effects of the first embodiment]
As described above, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment registers the form information, and when using the registered form information, based on the set of item names obtained from the registered form information, Identifies the association between the included item name column and the item value column. Therefore, even if the layout of the columns of the form is changed, it is possible to identify the association between the item name column and the item value column included in the form.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment can determine the distribution pattern (relative arrangement pattern) of the existing areas of other columns based on the column, regardless of the shape of the column or whether the columns are adjacent to each other. ) determines whether or not there is a possibility that the item name column and the item value column are related. For this reason, in the information processing apparatus 10, even for a form that does not satisfy the conditions regarding the shapes of the item name columns and the item value columns and their arrangement patterns assumed in the conventional technology, the association between the item name columns and the item value columns is possible. becomes possible.

For example, in the prior art, it is determined whether or not each item value column is associated with only the adjacent item name columns, and the parent-child relationship between the item name columns is determined from the arrangement of the two item name columns. , the presence or absence of a relationship was indirectly determined by combining these, so there were cases where the association between the item value column and the item name column not adjacent to each other became inappropriate. On the other hand, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment determines whether or not there is a possibility of being associated with any combination of the item name column and the item value column. It is possible to eliminate the case where the association with the column becomes inappropriate.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment gives a constraint condition that each item value column corresponds to one of the item name columns among combinations that may be associated when the form is registered. Therefore, when registering the form, ask for the association between the item name column and the item value so that there are no item value columns that are not associated with any item name column and all item value columns are associated with the item name column. can be done.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment designates a permissible relative arrangement pattern for each item name, determines whether or not there is a possibility that the item name column and the item value column are related, and By making it possible to search for solutions together with constraint conditions, it is possible to appropriately obtain associations between item name fields and item values even for items with different allowable/not allowed relative placement patterns from general-purpose items. can.

Further, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment does not register the form again even if the form to be processed when the registered form information is used includes an item that does not exist in the form when the form is registered. For all the items that existed in the form at the time of form registration, it is possible to obtain the association between the item name column and the item value.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, for example, when item names are arranged both vertically and horizontally in a form when registering a form and a form to be processed when using registered form information, The position of the item value column can be identified even when the vertical and horizontal are reversed, or when the order of the parent-child relationship of the item names is changed.

(system configuration, etc.)
Also, each component of each device illustrated is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. Further, each processing function performed by each device may be implemented in whole or in part by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or implemented as hardware based on wired logic.

In addition, among the processes described in the present embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed manually. can also be performed automatically by known methods. In addition, information including processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, and various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

(program)
It is also possible to create a program in which the processing executed by the information processing apparatus described in the above embodiment is written in a computer-executable language. For example, it is possible to create an association program in which the processing executed by the information processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment is described in a computer-executable language. In this case, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained by executing the association program by the computer. Further, such an association program may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and a computer may read and execute the association program recorded in the recording medium to realize processing similar to that of the above embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a computer that executes an association program. As illustrated in FIG. 26, computer 1000 includes, for example, memory 1010, CPU 1020, hard disk drive interface 1030, disk drive interface 1040, serial port interface 1050, video adapter 1060, and network interface 1070. , and these units are connected by a bus 1080 .

The memory 1010 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and a RAM 1012 as illustrated in FIG. The ROM 1011 stores a boot program such as BIOS (Basic Input Output System). Hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to hard disk drive 1090 as illustrated in FIG. Disk drive interface 1040 is connected to disk drive 1100 as illustrated in FIG. A removable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or optical disk is inserted into the disk drive 1100 . The serial port interface 1050 is connected to, for example, a mouse 1110 and a keyboard 1120 as illustrated in FIG. Video adapter 1060 is connected to display 1130, for example, as illustrated in FIG.

Here, as illustrated in FIG. 26, the hard disk drive 1090 stores an OS 1091, application programs 1092, program modules 1093, and program data 1094, for example. That is, the association program described above is stored, for example, in hard disk drive 1090 as a program module in which instructions to be executed by computer 1000 are described.

Various data described in the above embodiments are stored as program data in the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090, for example. Then, the CPU 1020 reads the program modules 1093 and program data 1094 stored in the memory 1010 and the hard disk drive 1090 to the RAM 1012 as necessary, and executes various processing procedures.

Note that the program module 1093 and the program data 1094 related to the association program are not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1090. For example, they may be stored in a removable storage medium and read by the CPU 1020 via a disk drive or the like. good. Alternatively, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 related to the association program are stored in another computer connected via a network (LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.), and are stored via the network interface 1070. may be read by the CPU 1020 at the same time.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 information processing device 11a operation input unit 11b form input unit 12 display unit 13 OS
14 storage unit 15 editor 16 form processing tool 161 description content/position acquisition unit 162 column type determination unit 163 form division unit 164 association admissibility determination unit 165 evaluation function generation unit 166 constraint condition provision unit 167 solving unit 168a registration unit 168b correction unit 169 allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit 170 work data accumulation unit 170a entry content/position data 170b, 172b column type data 170c, 172d entry content/position data for each form 170d, 172e relative arrangement pattern 170e association permission information 170f applicable evaluation function 170g Constraints to be applied 170h, 172a Related information between item name column and item value column 171 Relative arrangement pattern storage unit 171a Permissible/unacceptable relative arrangement pattern 172 Style storage unit 172c Rule by item name

Claims (9)

a registration unit for registering a set of item names associated with item name columns associated with item value columns in a predetermined form;
a solution-seeking unit that identifies associations between item name columns and item value columns included in a form to be processed based on the set of item names registered by the registration unit ;
When the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed can be distinguished, the item name column and the item value column are associated when the association is permitted from the viewpoint of the relative arrangement relationship of the columns. , each item value field is associated with at least one or more item name fields, and if there are multiple item name fields with the same character string, the same item value field and The apparatus further includes a constraint condition providing unit that provides a constraint condition that at most one item can be associated and a constraint condition that the item value columns have different sets of item names described in the associated item name columns. death,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the solution-seeking unit identifies associations between item name columns and item value columns included in the form to be processed so as to satisfy the constraint conditions imparted by the constraint condition imparting unit . a registration unit for registering a set of item names associated with item name columns associated with item value columns in a predetermined form;
a solution-seeking unit that identifies associations between item name columns and item value columns included in the form to be processed, based on the set of item names registered by the registration unit;
have
When processing another form using the form information of a form in which the association between the item value field and the item name field is specified in advance, each item name set held in the registered form information is subject to processing The item name column set in the form is generated, and the item name column and the item value column are associated only when the association is permitted from the viewpoint of the relative arrangement relationship of the columns, and each An item value column is generated for the same item name set under the constraint that it is associated with at most one item name column set, and with the constraint that each item name column set is associated with at most one item value column. and a constraint condition giving unit that gives a constraint that at most one item value column is associated with the item value column in the set of item name columns that are set, 1. An information processing apparatus that specifies association between an item value column and an item name column set included in a form to be processed and association between an item name column and an item value column so as to satisfy conditions. Based on each column in the form to be processed, the distribution pattern of the existence area of the other columns is obtained, and the distribution pattern and one of a preset allowable distribution pattern and an unacceptable distribution pattern. 3. An association admissibility determination unit that compares one or both and determines whether or not there is a possibility of an association between the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed. The information processing device according to . When an item name individual rule is set to define one or both of a preset allowable distribution pattern and an unacceptable distribution pattern for each item name, the association permission determination unit 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein whether or not there is a possibility of association between the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed is determined according to an item name individual rule. an allowable relative arrangement pattern generation unit that acquires a relative arrangement pattern from the association between the item name column and the item value column in a form of a predetermined format and creates data of an allowable arrangement pattern based on the acquired relative arrangement pattern; 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: An association method executed by an information processing device,
a registration step of registering a set of item names associated with item name columns associated with item value columns in a predetermined form;
a solution-seeking step of identifying associations between item name columns and item value columns included in the form to be processed, based on the set of item names registered in the registration step ;
When the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed can be distinguished, the item name column and the item value column are associated when the association is permitted from the viewpoint of the relative arrangement relationship of the columns. , each item value field is associated with at least one or more item name fields, and if there are multiple item name fields with the same character string, the same item value field and Further includes a constraint condition giving step of giving a constraint condition that at most one item can be associated and a constraint condition that the item value columns have different sets of item names described in the associated item name columns. ,
An association method , wherein the step of obtaining a solution specifies association between item name columns and item value columns included in the form to be processed so as to satisfy the constraint conditions imparted by the constraint condition imparting step . An association method executed by an information processing device,
a registration step of registering a set of item names associated with item name columns associated with item value columns in a predetermined form;
a solution-seeking step of identifying associations between item name columns and item value columns included in a form to be processed, based on the set of item names registered in the registration step;
including
When processing another form using the form information of a form in which the association between the item value field and the item name field is specified in advance, each item name set held in the registered form information is subject to processing The item name column set in the form is generated, and the item name column and the item value column are associated only when the association is permitted from the viewpoint of the relative arrangement relationship of the columns, and each An item value column is generated for the same item name set under the constraint that it is associated with at most one item name column set, and with the constraint that each item name column set is associated with at most one item value column. further comprising a constraint condition giving step of giving a constraint condition that at most one item value column is associated with the item name column set,
The solution-seeking step associates an item value column and an item name column set included in a form to be processed, and an association between an item name column and an item value column so as to satisfy the constraint condition given by the constraint condition assigning step. A method of association characterized by identifying a registration step of registering a set of item names associated with item name columns associated with item value columns in a predetermined form;
causing a computer to execute a solution finding step of identifying associations between item name columns and item value columns included in a form to be processed based on the set of item names registered in the registering step ;
When the item name column and the item value column in the form to be processed can be distinguished, the item name column and the item value column are associated when the association is permitted from the viewpoint of the relative arrangement relationship of the columns. , each item value field is associated with at least one or more item name fields, and if there are multiple item name fields with the same character string, the same item value field and The computer further performs a constraint condition imparting step of imparting a constraint condition that at most one item can be associated and a constraint condition that item value columns have different sets of item names described in associated item name columns. and run
The association program , wherein the step of obtaining a solution identifies association between item name columns and item value columns included in the form to be processed so as to satisfy the constraint condition imparted by the constraint condition imparting step . a registration step of registering a set of item names associated with item name columns associated with item value columns in a predetermined form;
a solution finding step of identifying associations between item name columns and item value columns included in the form to be processed, based on the set of item names registered in the registering step;
on the computer, and
When processing another form using the form information of a form in which the association between the item value field and the item name field is specified in advance, each item name set held in the registered form information is subject to processing The item name column set in the form is generated, and the item name column and the item value column are associated only when the association is permitted from the viewpoint of the relative arrangement relationship of the columns, and each An item value column is generated for the same item name set under the constraint that it is associated with at most one item name column set, and with the constraint that each item name column set is associated with at most one item value column. causing the computer to further execute a constraint condition imparting step of imparting a constraint condition that at most one item value column is associated with the item name column set,
The solution finding step associates an item value column and an item name column set included in the form to be processed, and an association between the item name column and the item value column so as to satisfy the constraint condition imparted by the constraint condition imparting step. A correlating program characterized by identifying a

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